WEF: employed the military to ensure security
Keystone-SDA
The Swiss army will once again support canton Graubünden in security measures for the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. The majority of the troops enter service on Monday.
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The initial work already started before Christmas, the Swiss Armed Forces explained on Monday. Among other things, the military – with a maximum strength of 5,000 – aims to protect infrastructure and airspace.
With its deployment, the army fulfils the federal government’s obligation to provide support to civil authorities in the event of tasks of national or international importance, as well as to protect people protected under international law. However, the service will be carried out under the responsibility of the Rhaetian civil authorities. The overall head will be the commander of the Graubünden cantonal police, Colonel Walter Schlegel.
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Airspace defence
Safeguarding airspace sovereignty is a federal task and the responsibility of the military. The Air Force will strengthen the air police service and carry out surveillance flights, as well as air transport of people protected under international law.
The Army will upgrade the radar system and deploy armed fighter jets on permanent patrol duty. Ground-to-air defence assets will also be deployed. Measures in this regard will be implemented in close cooperation with Austrian and Italian partners.
The airspace restrictions over Davos will cover an area with a radius of about 46km and will be in effect on January 17 from 10am to 5pm, as well as from 8am on January 20 – the start of this year’s annual WEF meeting – without interruption until 5pm on January 25, the day after the event closes.
Detailed information and documents are available on the website of the Federal Office of Civil AviationExternal link (FOCA).
Translated from Italian by DeepL/ts
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